Features: Played wide to the left, very fast and attack-minded, much more offensive than his brother Eulogio. Had great ball skills and excellent game vision.

Matches played: 60 official

Goals scored: 4

Honours: - 1 Copa - 3 Regional Tournaments

Sotero Aranguren was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1894. At the age of five, he and his brother Eulogio, moved to San Sebastian for family reasons. Always with his inseparable brother, he was part of Easo, which also included Alberto Machimbarrena and Castell, who was the architect of the former Chamartin and then, years later, became the first club member. His footballing qualities were quite different from his brothers, who was more defensive. Sotero was very skillful, extremely fast and very attack-minded.

A new family move leads to Madrid, where he joined blancos, which started a big turnover in the clubs successes. He arrived in 1911 along with Comamala, Saura and Bernabeu, with whom the team took a remarkable leap in quality. Together they made the squad balanced and soon reached its zenith in 1917 by winning the Spanish Championship after defeating Arenas Club 2-1. Sotero was an integral part of the team and went on to become one of the first idols of the Real Madrid fans.

Despite his football talent, Sotero gave priority to his studies of Road Engineering. Once he moved in 1918 to Miranda de Ebro, football (still far from professional) went to the background. Just four years later, in 1922, he died in San Sebastian at the age of 28. His death shocked the Spanish football. His loss, coupled with another idol of Real Madrid, Machimbarrena prompted the Club to create a sculpture of the club legend and idol. It was presented in 1925 and initially located in the grounds of the stadium, the statue became a sacred totem for the players of the younger generation.

Throughout Real Madrid's history there have been great football players which have dedicated their lives to football and Real Madrid. Without these legends Real Madrid wouldn’t have become what it is today, the greatest club in the world. Real Madrid and all the fans will forever owe them their gratitude and affection. For that reasons I have decided to create this Hall of Fame which will introduce you to the ones that gave the most to the club.

Real Madrid have once again been linked with a switch for Porto defender Bruno Alves, and a deal could take place in the January transfer window.

Los Blancos have been rocked by the loss of Pepe for the rest of the season as a result of a cruciate ligament injury, and are actively in the hunt for a replacement in order to maintain their aspirations of capturing rival Barcelona’s La Liga and Champions League titles.

Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic has also been linked with a switch to the Bernabeu, but daily newspaper A Bola reports that a swoop for the experienced Portuguese international is more likely.

Alves has a buy-out clause in his contract of €30m, a figure that Real Madrid appear willing to meet, as well as an attractive salary package. A deal was expected to be resurrected in the summer, but the injury to Pepe has cause president Florentino Perez to bring the deal forward.

The 28-year old is thought to be keen on a move, but Porto boss Jesualdo Ferreira wants to offer Alves a new contract to keep him at the club, and that could yet scupper any hope of concluding a deal this winter.

Coach Manuel Pellegrini has used the pairing of Ezequiel Garay and Raul Albiol in their last two matches, but the Chilean also believes that the club will require further cover to compete on all fronts in the months ahead.

Rafael van der Vaart is delighted to be ending 2009 as a Real Madrid starter.

The Dutch playmaker has successfully broke back into the first team as a replacement for the injured Kaka.

Van der Vaart said: "I said I wanted to succeed with this club, the biggest in the world. In this life you always have to fight at all times, not only in football, and now I will not let my guard down."

"I will continue fighting to be an important man on this team."

"I'm playing in my favorite position and where I can show my quality. I feel comfortable playing between the lines. So I can be important for the team."

Royston Drenthe could be set for an exit from the Bernabeu, with Paris St. Germain said to be interested in signing him.

According to Le Parisien, PSG see the Dutchman as an ideal replacement for Jerome Rothen. Their preference is for a move during the January window, but they are willing to return with a summer bid.

Drenthe has only made five league appearances for Madrid this season. After initially winning the confidence of Manuel Pellegrini, he has since been replaced by Alvaro Arbeloa and Marcelo. His performance in the disastrous loss to Alcorcon appears to have sealed his fate at the club.

Since joining Los Merengues in 2007, Drenthe has made 43 league appearances for the club.

Real Madrid are ready to table a £10m bid for Chelsea's versatile stopper Branislav Ivanovic, according to reports from the English tabloids today.

The Sunday Mirror comments that the Serbian has become a primary transfer target for Los Blancos following the loss of Portuguese defender Pepe until next season through injury.

The player himself recently commented that he regards a move to the Santiago Bernabeu to be a "dream", fuelling speculation that Ivanovic may be ready to swap Stamford Bridge for the Spanish capital.

However, one stumbling block to the move will be Blues’ coach Carlo Ancelotti’s desire to hold on to the international, particularly with Jose Bosingwa sidelined for the next two months.

Serbia national team coach Radomir Antic stated that Ivanovic is a key player for his side as they prepare for the World Cup in South Africa in 2010, and that he has the capability to be a key player for Real Madrid, should the move go ahead.

About Real Madrid C.F.

Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid (and in Spain, within an adequate context, simply as el Madrid), is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. It is the most successful team in Spanish football and was voted by FIFA as the most successful club of the 20th century, having won a record thirty-one La Liga titles, seventeen Spanish Cups, a record nine European Cups and two UEFA Cups. Real was a founding member of FIFA and the now-defunct G–14 group of Europe's leading football clubs as well as its replacement, the European Club Association. The word "Real" in the club's name is the Spanish term for "Royal", and was added in 1920 together with the royal crown in the emblem.

Founded in 1902, Real Madrid has since spent all of its history in the top flight of Spanish football. In the 1940s, the club, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and the Ciudad Deportiva were rebuilt following the Spanish Civil War. The club established itself as a major force in both Spanish and European football during the 1950s. In the 1980s, the club had one of the best teams in Spain and Europe (known as La Quinta del Buitre), winning two UEFA Cups, five Spanish championships in a row, one Spanish cup and three Spanish Super Cups.

The team traditional home colours are all white, although it initially adopted a blue oblique stripe on the shirt. Its crest has been changed several times in attempts to modernise or re-brand; the current crest is a modified version of the one first adopted in the 1920s. Real's home ground is the 80,354-person-capacity Santiago Bernabéu football stadium in downtown Madrid, where it has played since 1947.

Real Madrid holds long-standing rivalries with some other clubs; the most notable of these is with FC Barcelona, the two teams regularly contest in El Clásico. Unlike most European football clubs, Real Madrid's members (socios) have owned and operated the club since its inception. The club is the world's richest football club (€351m) in terms of revenue and the second most valuable (worth over €950m as of 2008).

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